1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document management method which uses a plurality of document schemas to manage a document retrieval request, the document schemas defining a structure of document contents, each document schema including a plurality of attributes. Further, the present invention relates to a computer readable storage medium storing program code instructions for causing a processor to execute the document management method.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 10 shows a conventional document management system. As shown in FIG. 10, the conventional document management system is configured into a network system including one or a plurality of client workstations 11 (such as personal computers) and one or a plurality of document management servers 12. Each server 12 includes a document storage device having a plurality of folders each containing various document data. The document storage device may be constituted by a hard disk drive or a compact disk drive. Each client workstation 11 includes a similar document storage device containing various document data.
When storing new document data into the document storage device of the server 12, the user gives to the server 12 the document content to be stored as well as the document attributes, such as the document name, the entry person name and the keywords. At the same time, the user specifies the identifier of the folder in which the document content is to be stored. In response to this request, a document management unit of the server 12 adds the document attributes from the user and the entry date obtained from a clock or the like to a document attribute management table. Further, the document management unit stores the document content linked with the attribute data into the specified folder of the document storage device of the server 12.
When sending a document retrieval request to the server 12, the user gives to the server 12 a query condition including the document attribute data, the folder identifier and the document name, and so on. In response to the document retrieval request, the document management unit of the server 12 searches for the requested document data, produces a list of document retrieval results, and causes the client workstation 11 at the user's location to display the list of document retrieval results. When the user selects one of the document retrieval results in the list, the document management unit of the server 12 causes the client workstation 11 to display the document data corresponding to the selected item. If necessary, the user prints out the document data at the client workstation 11.
FIG. 11 shows a document schema file used by a conventional document management method.
As shown in FIG. 11, the document schema file contains a plurality of document schemas. The document schemas in the document schema file are used to define a structure of document contents stored in a conventional document management system. For example, each document schema is comprised of a schema ID (identifier), a schema name, the total number of attributes contained in the document schema, and a plurality of individual document attributes.
As shown in FIG. 11, each of the attributes of one document schema is comprised of an attribute number, an attribute name, the display order, an attribute type, and a corresponding field of a document attribute management table.
The schema ID provides identification of a specific one of the plurality of document schemas. The attribute type provides a specific type of data selected from among various data types including a string type, a numeric type and a date/time type. The corresponding field provides the name of a corresponding field in the document attribute management table. The document schema file shown in FIG. 11 is used to define a structure of the document contents stored in the document management system, and the plurality of document schemas are used when a document retrieval request is input.
FIG. 12 shows a document registration process that is executed according to the conventional document management method.
As shown in FIG. 12, at a start of the document registration process, the document content is registered (S51). After the step S51 is performed, the user selects one of the plurality of document schemas for subsequent registration of the document attributes (S52). The system displays the attribute input menu of the attribute items in the display order defined by the selected document schema (S53). The system stores the document attribute data, which are input by the user from the attribute input menu, into the corresponding fields of the document attribute management table in accordance with the definition of the selected document schema (S54).
However, it is difficult that the conventional document management method creates a new document schema to a plurality of document schemas of a document schema file stored in a document management system without causing an error. It is difficult that the conventional document management method changes, adds or deletes the attributes of a plurality of document schemas of a document schema file stored in a document management system without causing mismatch or contradiction. Further, it is difficult that the conventional document management method changes, when the attributes of the changed document schema (or the new one) and the attributes of the non-changed document schema (or the previous one or the backup copy) coexist in a document management system, the attributes of the non-changed document schema to those of the changed document schema without causing an error.